Glossary

- A -

Akinomiyajima【安芸の宮島】
One of Japan’s three scenic views and is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture.
Amanohashidate【天橋立】
One of Japan’s three scenic views and is located in Miyazu Bay in northern Kyoto Prefecture. The last of the three scenic views is Matsushima located in Miyagi Prefecture.

- B -

bandai【番台】
Platform for the attendant (often the owner) to collect charge or watch over the dressing rooms, placed near the entrance.
Bijinno-yu【美人の湯】
Means "making women more beautiful."

- F -

firewood【薪】
Wood that is burnt as fuel.
frozen sauna【冷凍サウナ】
Below-zero temperature sauna.

- H -

Hayao Miyazaki【宮崎駿】
Prominent director of many popular animated films. He is also the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, an animation studio and production company.
hinoki【檜】
Japanese cypress.
Human Washing Machine【人間洗濯機】
Kind of Jacuzzi with a swirling stream.

- M -

maiko【舞妓】
Traditional, female Japanese entertainers.
Meiji period【明治時代】
45 years from 1868 to 1912.
Minamiza【南座】
Primary Kabuki theater on the Kamo River. It was founded in 1610 as Shijo-Minamiza.
Mount Fuji【富士山】
Highest and most famous mountain in Japan.

- N -

noren【暖簾】
Traditional Japanese fabric dividers, hung between rooms, on walls, in doorways, or in windows.

- O -

oden【おでん】
Japanese winter dish containing all kinds of ingredients cooked in a special broth of soy sauce, sugar, sake etc.

- R -

radon onsen【ラドン温泉】
onsen, or hot spring, whose water includes radon.
rakugo【落語】
Japanese verbal entertainment that is told by the lone storyteller (rakugoka) on the stage with some props such as a paper fan (called "sensu") or a small cloth (called "tenugui").

- S -

shobu-yu【菖蒲湯】
Bath with iris leaves put into water. Some sentos provide the shobu-yu on May 5 every year.
Showa period【昭和時代】
64 years from 1926 to 1989.
shiso【シソ】
English name is beefsteak plant. In Japan, people pickle ume (Japanese apricot) with shiso because it colors ume pickles red.
Spirited Away【千と千尋の神隠し】
2001 Oscar-winning Japanese animated film written and directed by famed animator Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli.

- T -

Taisho period【大正時代】
15 years from 1912 to 1926.
thoron bath【トロンの湯】
Medical stones that are called “thoron” are buried under the bathtub, which are said to be good for beauty and health.
tsuboniwa【坪庭】
Tiny garden surrounded by buildings or in small space of the premises.

- W -

wine bath【ワイン風呂】
Wine colored medicinal herbal bath which is good for your body.

- Y -

yomogi【ヨモギ】
English name is mugwort. In Japan, people sometimes eat a rice-flour cake flavored with yomogi.
yuzu-yu【柚子湯】
Bath scented with yuzu and most sentos provide yuzu-yu on the winter solstice every year.